Twenty fire engines rushed to the scene in Klong Luang district and took about two hours to control the blaze after it had already swept through the four units of the shop.

Kawee Wetchayanwiwat, 54, the shop owner, said he and five family members were sleeping in a unit when the fire started on the ground floor of a connected unit and swept through the upper floors very quickly before spreading to other units.

Kawee said he and his family tried but failed to control the blaze.

The four-unit building had a lot of auto parts and oil stored so the blaze spread very quickly, he said.

Police said the damage was estimated at Bt15 million and the cause of the fire has yet to be determined by forensic science officers.